Aeroplane



11L 1% WW mm W AEROPLANE 5 Sheets Shee't Filed Dec. 1928 WWWMMMMW W W M a B W406 Altornqy May 14,- 1929. G, PLOGER 1,712,903

AEROPLANE Filed Dec. 1928 3 ShetS-Sheet 5 Ill lnventor q v B IWW Attorney v llltlt Bil at WW v all dawnll dad.

lllpplteatlon I The present invention relates to certain new and use'lulimprovements in aeroplanes and has particular relerence to propelling means therefor. This invention constitutes an improvement in the construction disclosed in my prior lUnited tltates'lhetters lt atent lilo. theater and has particular reference to the air poclrets termed in the machine for receiving the propelling force ol the propeller hlades in a manner for exerting a litting force upon the machine, the invention having for its principal obj'ect to provide a series oi louvers at each side oil the pocket in association with the respective propellers wherehyto reduce the lilting elitorts required .tlr still further object is to provide a telescoping air pipe for discharging the air trom the air pockets against the rudder ot the machine and arranged through its telescoping adjustment to control the volume of air delivered against the rudder.

--t)ther objects and advantages reside in the special construction, combination and arrangement oil the various elements forming the invention as more lully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view with parts broken away and shown in section liigure il is a similar view illustrating the air pipe in itsentreme open position,

Figure 3 is a top plan view, Figure d is a vertical transverse sectional view Figure 5 is a sectional view through the air poclret talren along a line ti-h o'lt' Fig-- are at. I

lt igure ti is a liront elevational view oi the casing Itorming the air poclret, and

ltigure 'l" is a vertical sectional view therethrough taken along a line 'l-"l of Figure 4t.

llteterring now to the accompanying drawings wherein tor the purpose at illustration ll havedisclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention the numeral ti designates a luselage of the machine mounted. on a able landing 6 with the upward tor-Ward portion thereo'l provided. with a cochpit l within which is arranged the control mechanism. tor the various elements oi the ma h re,

llhe rear end at the fuselage is provided.

ecem'lier a; that,

u a am W 4 t l d l lat ll an an a tterlal lilo. ddittlltl,

with the usual vertically pivoted rough rudder d for the direction of control of the machine and the horizontally disposed tail plane 9 providing means for the elevational control thereolh 'llhe rudders and tail planes may be controlled in any conventional manner from the coclrpit, such control means not constituting a part oil my invention and accordingly are not shown in the present disclosure thereof 'lhe underside oi the iuselage intermediate its ends is open to provide an air space within the same, the limitations ol said air space at the rear being indicated by the rearwardlv in'clinedwall l0 and with the forward end of said air space terminating rearward of the coclrpit.

Within this air space is arranged a horizontal transversely disposed side shalt ll having each end suitably supported in, bear ings 12 arranged at the opposite sides oi the :tuselage head adjacent each end of the shalt inwardly of the hearings, is rotatably' mounted a wheel member l3 adapted to r the tree rotary movement upon the shalt,

Each side oil the luselage, immediately adjacent each oil the wheels is open as clearly indicated at ll. The wheels at the opptisite ends ot the shalt term the ends or a substantially cylindrical casing having its lower side open as shown at lid.

The shaft ll is axially disposed with re spect to the casing 15, said shalt being operated through the motor 1? supported intermediate the ends ol the shaft and is utilized. to drive a pair of propeller blades ltl mounted adjacent the ends oi the shalt inwardly oil the wheels 13, as clearly illus trated in Figure e t ol the drawings.

ll. double set of louvers it) are arranged within the casing and disposed adjacent the respective ends thereolt,- said leavers being arranged in unitormly spaced relation with respect to each other and arranged trans versely oi the casingwith the opposite ends of the louvers attached to the inner walls ot the casing in any suitable manner as for instance by spot welding or the like as indicated at 20. The upper and lower edges of the louvers are disposedat a substantially horizontal plane, when the casing is ar ranged in a normal position, the lower ends of each of the leavers shown at 21 being inclined inwardly and downwardly in an arc and; each set oi? the louvcrs at the respective tot ends of the casing are arranged with each succeeding uppermost louver member stepped inwardly from the adjacent end of the casing in a regular order so that the 5 uppermost louver of each set is disposed adjacent the center of the casing.

' An opening is formed in the rear wall of the open face of the fuselage, through which is inserted the forward section 22 of 10 an air pipe, the rear end of said pipe being telescopically arranged in a rear air pipe section 23 having its rear end open and disposed immediately forwardly of the rudder 8.

The upper portion of the forward pipe section '22 is openand shown at 24. An operating rod 25 for the forward pipe sec tion 22 is attached at its rear end to said pipe section with its forward .end disposed 20 in the cockpit for operation by the aviator.

Through the forward and rearward move- -ment of the rod 25, the forward end of the pipe section 22 may be moved so asto extend inwardly of the lower edge of the open- .zaing 16 of the casing so as 'to admit the air from the easing into the pipe for discharging against the rudder 8. To the hub of 'eachof the wheels 13 is attached a lever 26 having connection to' a forwardly ex tending rod 27 with a control lever 28 arranged in association with a quadrant 29 mounted in the cockpit whereby to provide for the manual limited rotary movement of the casing upon the shaft 11 whereby to move the louvers into a forwardly or rear- Wardly inclined position. The wings 30 of the plane are attached at their inner ends at the sides of-the fuselage at a substantially horizontal plane with the shaft 11 so that the force of air entering the openings at the sides of the fuselage will have an equal effect 'upon both the upper and lower surfaces of the wing.

It will be apparent from the' foregoing that the force of air entering the opposite ends of the casing through the action of the propellers 18 will be directed against the louvers 19, which, by reason of their inclined position, will cause air to exert a lift- 5 mg force upon the machine.

By adjusting the angle .of the louvers through the manipulationof the lever 28,

- thislifting; force may be controlled so as to cause the air to drive the machine forwardly or to retard the forwardmovement thereof,

as desired. v

When the machine is being driven at a substantially horizontal plane the air from the casing .15 may be discharged through the pipe sections 22 and 23 against the rudder 8 and tail planes 9 thereby aiding the stabilization of the machine.

It is obvious that my invention is susceptible to various changes and modifications in construction .without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims, and I accordingly claim all such forms of the device to which I am entitled.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is: i

1. In combinatioln' an aeroplane including a fuselage, directional and elevational control means at the rear end of said fuselage, a shaft extendiiig transversely of the fusclage, propellers mounted djacent each end of said shaft, an open ended casing mounted for free rotary movement uponv the shaft, said fuselage having openings formed in its side and lower portions immediately adjacent said casing, said casing having one side open and communicating with tl e open portion at the bottom of the fuselage, manual control means for the casing and a double set of louvers arranged respectively adja cent the ends of the casing and'arranged in position for receiving the force of air from said propellers.

2. In combination, an aeroplane including a fuselage, directional and elevational control means at the rear end of said fuselage,

a shaft extending transversely of the fuse-- lage, propellers mounted adjacent each end of said shaft, an open ended casing mounted for free rotary movement upon the shaft, said fuselage having openings formed in its side and lower portions immediately adjacent said casing, said casing having one side open and communicating with the open portion at the bottom of the fuselage, manual control means for the casing and a double set of louvers arranged respectively adjacent the ends of the casing and arranged in position for receiving the force of air from said propellers, said louvers having their upper and lower edges disposed at a substantially horizontal plane with the louvers of each set disposed in spaced relation and in overlapping position and also arranged with each succeeding upper louver stepped inwardly.

3. In combination, an aeroplane including a fuselage, directional and clevational control means at the rear end of said fuselage, a shaft extending transversely of the fuselage, propellers mounted adjacent each end of said shaft, an open ended casing mounted for free rotary movement upon the shaft, said fuselage having openings formed in its side and lower portions immediately adjacent said casing, said casing having one side open and communicating with the open por tion at the bottom of the fuselage, manual control means for the casing and a double set of louvers arranged respectively adjacent the ends of the casing and arranged in position for receiving the force of air from said propellers, said louvers having their upper and lower edges disposed at a substantially horizontal plane with the louvers of each set disposed in spaced relation and 

